Citrix NetScaler vs Loadbalancer.org vs Radware Alteon comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Citrix NetScaler, Loadbalancer.org, and Radware Alteon based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about F5, Citrix, HAProxy and others in Application Delivery Controllers (ADC).
To learn more, read our detailed Application Delivery Controllers (ADC) Report (Updated: March 2024).
765,234 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"My customers have told me that the performance of this solution is good.""The most valuable feature is the content switching.""Very stable.""This solution increases the backend network service performance, which is one of the things that we like the most.""The load balancing feature and the fact that you can do context switching in the WAF are the most valuable. We majorly use it for load balancing, but we also use it for context switching in the WAF. It is also robust and very easy to work with and manage.""Manageability and visibility are good.""Scalability is great. One of the best features of NetScaler is that it can scale out.""From a security standpoint, It is a comprehensive solution in a single box."

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"It does what it’s supposed to do which is balancing an important intranet site we are using, so if one server dies, the second becomes active straight away.""Loadbalancer.org is less complex than Citrix.""It's pretty much a Swiss Army knife for managing all the load balancing techniques.""We have about 30,000 connections going through at any one time and it's fine, it doesn't seem to sweat. It doesn't get overloaded.""The user interface precludes need to be well versed with Linux IPVS command line. This make it easy for junior team members to participate in managing load balancing needs.""I found scalability in Loadbalancer.org valuable.""The connection that this solution helps our servers maintain has been most useful.""Most important for us that it makes sure that the load is distributed and that we always have access to the end servers."

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"The most valuable aspect is that it establishes user security.""Radware has been characterized by being extremely robust. This gives us the confidence to offer our users a continuous service.""his solution allows me to secure applications, by blocking suspicious traffic based on the signature that has been enabled for that particular application.""The best features are the security through the web application firewall, the functionality that the solution offers, being a load balancer with the security functionality on top of it, and the ease of administration.""I like the ADC feature and the global certificate feature.""The most valuable feature is the load-balancing reverse proxy.""The interface is easy, it's friendly, and has good alerting.""With Alteon, the load-balancing options are practically unlimited. We haven't had any issues with offloading, decryption, putting in cookies, or any other load-balancing features. We can check URLs, etc., on the back end for load balancing instead of running a TCP check. We're also doing some certificate stuff on there. Alteon covers all of the standard load-balancing techniques, and we employ most of them daily."

More Radware Alteon Pros →

Cons
"Improvements are needed to address the issue of machines becoming unregistered, ensuring stability for end users. Troubleshooting with Citrix support can be challenging, so clearer diagnostics would be beneficial. As for global server load balancing, it works well on-premises, depending on user volume and service stability. Overall, it's satisfactory for us.""An area for improvement would be the difficulty in finding information about standard licensing costs over the internet. They should provide some reference prices on the net to be quickly referred to.""Mastering it requires significant learning and training due to its complexity.""ADC from Citrix has added functionalities from other products and the usability is very difficult for someone who is used to a simpler user interface, it's a little bit of a mess to use.""Finding relevant documentation for learning NetScaler can be challenging, especially for beginners who prefer a web interface over command-line interfaces.""I think the documentation should be improved.""The solution is a bit more expensive than some of the available solutions in this region. One solution in particular that I noticed was cheaper was Kemp.""I will try to migrate all the tools to the cloud because there is more lab and more VPN scalability available in the cloud. It is not available on-premises."

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"Originally we had some stability issues with it, so they replaced it with a new box and it's fine.""They're mostly designed to balance a particular type of traffic. I wanted to load balance DNS, and they just don't do it the way that we wanted to. So they're not used as DNS load balancers.""I'd like to see scalability improved; it can be costly.""I would like it if Loadbalancer had the ability to make rules for specific shared bots.""If I have to say something, I suppose they could add an automated configuration backup to an FTP location (or something similar) so you don’t have to manually do it. I don’t see this as a problem, of course, as the configuration rarely changes and we only need one backup, but maybe for other users that feature would be handy.""Possibly a more graphical overview page (with colors) to give a two second overview to see if everything is working fine.""Compared to the physical products, the solution's throughput is a little less.""We could enhance the security aspects of the load balancer."

More Loadbalancer.org Cons →

"Radware Alteon could improve the troubleshooting from the command line interface, they could do a better job making it easier.""You need to have pretty good internal knowledge of the solution.""I would like for the load balancing to work with premier and the cloud, a mix of premium and cloud.""The interface implementation can be improved.""Performance could be improved.""The user interface can be improved.""The solution could be more robust.""The community portal does not have a place to find scripts."

More Radware Alteon Cons →

Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "It's not for startups or SOHO."
  • "Costly product and complicated licensing."
  • "It all depends on the features that will be used and the number of accesses."
  • "It is true that it is a bit pricey compared to newer technologies coming to the market. For example, A10 is a load balancer that does everything that Citrix can and it does a lot more than what NetScaler does when it comes to the security space, and their prices are so cheap. Every box comes with its own license and support built into it. When you compare that with NetScaler, you have to buy licenses separately, you have to buy a support agreement that is going to be separate. A small NetScaler, even if it is a VPX which is a virtual server, could cost you close to $150,000 to $200,000 dollars. So the pricing is really high."
  • "We have been evaluating F5, Citrix, and other ADC products. Citrix is the most expense of all of them."
  • "We are quite happy with price. It's not too high."
  • "I do not have any experience with the pricing of the product."
  • "You get the value for your money. There aren't any hidden fees."
  • More Citrix NetScaler Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "It's worth the cost. It's not cheap, but it's a good solution. If you're looking for a good solution, this is a good solution. Is it cheap? No. Is it worth the money? Yes, I think it is."
  • "I think it’s very affordable."
  • "It was easy to upgrade the license for unlimited clusters and servers. Pricing is fair."
  • "We've got an unlimited license, which doesn't costs that much compared to other vendors, and we don't have to buy it again."
  • "It filled a requirement for our project, and it did so at lesser cost than their competitors.​"
  • "These guys make their pricing scheme really easy.​"
  • "It is inexpensive, and even their “unlimited” version, the VA MAX is still far cheaper than competitors."
  • "I love that they do not price on some arbitrary throughput rating where you are guessing at what the load balancer is going to handle."
  • More Loadbalancer.org Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "It has a good price point and is more reasonable than other comparable products"
  • "Radware Alteon is less expensive than many of the other competitors."
  • "The pricing is better than the competition. It is getting more pricey as the years go on, as more people are migrating to it, and as the technology gets better."
  • "I'm content with Alteon's pricing."
  • "Alteon's price is excellent compared to other solutions. F5 costs around twice as much. We still have about three years left before this hardware reaches the end of its life. We're migrating to the cloud, and phasing some of this out, but it's nice that they've given us a long window to keep their hardware in place."
  • "The cost of Radware Alteon is mid-ranged."
  • "Its pricing is very good. It is very competitive. Radware Alteon is the leader in the market. At a lesser price, we get a good product and also good support. Other vendors who are providing load balancers charge separately for two items. You have the hardware cost, and you have the support cost, whereas, in the case of Radware, you get both in a single package."
  • "The solution is cost-efficient."
  • More Radware Alteon Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer:From a security standpoint, It is a comprehensive solution in a single box.
    Top Answer:For the specific use case that my customers primarily engage with, I would give the pricing a rating of seven out of… more »
    Top Answer:In the latest version of Citrix NetScaler, there are specific improvements in the appliances, particularly in the… more »
    Top Answer:Since Loadbalancer.org is an open-source solution, I would recommend this solution for smaller businesses that don’t… more »
    Top Answer:Existing customers are trying to migrate from the physical F5 load balancer to the AVI load balancer because it is… more »
    Top Answer:It saves us a lot of work in terms of management since it has tasks already defined automatically. That enables us to… more »
    Top Answer:We have a three-year contract with Radware. It is beneficial to have a longer-term contract because you can obtain more… more »
    Top Answer:It is a fairly complete service and it is difficult for me to think of what can be improved. A feature that I would like… more »
    Ranking
    Views
    9,017
    Comparisons
    6,917
    Reviews
    21
    Average Words per Review
    367
    Rating
    8.2
    Views
    1,676
    Comparisons
    1,526
    Reviews
    8
    Average Words per Review
    509
    Rating
    8.4
    Views
    2,603
    Comparisons
    1,903
    Reviews
    21
    Average Words per Review
    750
    Rating
    8.7
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    Citrix ADC, NetScaler, Citrix NetScaler VPX
    Alteon, Radware AppWall
    Learn More
    Overview

    Citrix NetScaler is an application delivery controller (ADC) and load-balancing solution for multi-cloud environments. Because its software and hardware form factors are all built on a single code base, Citrix NetScaler provides operational and feature consistency with comprehensive security for monolithic and microservices-based applications on-premises and in the cloud. The solution is designed to optimize, manage, and secure network traffic. Switching features, security and protection features, and network integration efficiency capabilities are all part of its feature set.

    Citrix NetScaler Features

    Citrix NetScaler has many valuable key features. Some of the most useful ones include:

    • Citrix Gateway
    • Secure Access
    • Layer 7 content switching
    • Database load balancing
    • Triscale clustering
    • E-based policy enforcement
    • Surge protection and priority queuing
    • Application acceleration
    • Application security, including DoS attack defense, content rewriting and response control, SSL encryption, and more.
    • Network Integration

    Citrix NetScaler Benefits

    There are many benefits to implementing Citrix NetScaler. Some of the biggest advantages the solution offers include:

    • Improved Application Performance: Citrix NetScaler optimizes the delivery of applications, reducing latency and improving the user experience.
    • Scalability: The solution can scale to handle large amounts of traffic, ensuring that applications are available even during periods of high demand.
    • Advanced Security: Citrix NetScaler includes a range of security features, such as SSL offloading, to help secure applications and protect against threats.
    • Availability: Load balancing and failover capabilities ensure that applications are always available, even in the event of a failure.
    • Good user experience: The solution’s Global Server Load Balancing (GSLB) ensures that users are directed to the nearest available application, reducing latency and improving the user experience.
    • Reduced costs: By improving application performance and reducing downtime, Citrix NetScaler can help organizations reduce costs associated with application delivery.
    • Agility: Citrix NetScaler makes it easier for organizations to deploy and manage applications, helping to increase the speed and efficiency of IT operations.
    • Analytics and monitoring: Provides insight into network and application performance, helping organizations to identify and resolve issues quickly.

    Reviews from Real Users

    Citrix NetScaler is a solution that stands out when compared to many of its competitors. Some of its major advantages are that it is easy to use, is robust, and has good load balancing.

    A Senior Citrix Engineer at Troye, says, “The web application firewalling component is probably the most powerful feature as it can identify attacks on the network at an application level which is quite important. There is also good functionality where we use IP reputation and geofencing to mitigate threats from the outside world.”

    “The feature that I have found most valuable is its load balancing,” explains a Security Consultant at a tech services company.

    Timur G., Team Head of Network Security at DOM.RF, writes, “The most valuable feature of Citrix ADC is its ease of use.” 

    Another PeerSpot reviewer, Nirav S., Technical Solutions Architect at MindTree, mentions, "Compared to other solutions, Citrix ADC is much more robust in terms of the native integration to cloud platforms. It is far more robust from an operational point of view as well."

    Loadbalancer.org is a versatile solution that offers load balancing for small businesses, multiple instances of applications, web application firewall, publishing Windows and SQL applications, and security for telephone service systems. It is easy to use, cost-effective, and performs well with low latency. 

    The connection maintenance and security features are valuable, including managing logs on WAFs, identifying break-in attempts writing rules to block them and using HAProxy to control what is allowed. Loadbalancer.org has helped organizations reduce the impact of connection issues, provide security, and ensure no downtime or impact on productivity.

    Top Industries that use Loadbalancer.org:

    • Healthcare: Loadbalancer.org is widely considered the top load balancer provider in the healthcare IT industry. Loadbalancer.org sees that healthcare IT personnel can ensure their organizations are moving seamlessly toward interoperability and are able to easily scale to meet today’s continually growing data demands with no compromise in performance.
    • Storage solutions: Loadbalancer.org has significant offerings and partnerships with object-based storage providers to ensure they are always ready for today's ever-changing dynamic storage needs. The comprehensive integration offers high-performance scalable solutions which can provide always available next-gen storage solutions.
    • Security: Loadbalancer.org solutions provide an extra layer of security to protect against the latest risk and threats. Loadbalancer.org will provide a close integration to ensure the organization is always secure.
    • Print: Loadbalancer.org can work with organizations to ensure their print environments keep working smoothly and is the only organization that fully supports Microsoft Print load balancing. Loadbalancer.org minimizes the complexities of print environments to ensure that all systems are consistently available.

    Loadbalancer.org is certified as an OEM provider for all of Microsoft's most popular key applications and solutions. Loadbalancer.org has created and developed streamlined deployments to facilitate improved scalability, performance, and uptime. They offer a tailored GUI to make every process super easy. Loadbalancer.org offers several flexible licensing plans to ensure cost-effectiveness, improved margins, revenue opportunities, and optimized TCO. The numerous robust solutions Loadbalancer.org offers can ensure that any enterprise organization is able to satisfy the growing demands of today’s dynamic marketplace while maintaining an excellent user experience.

    Reviews from Real Users

    “Loadbalancer.org is less complex than Citrix. In some cases, our customers do not have an engineer on staff who can support this device. These customers have a large number of Linux engineers but don't have the money. We suggested using Loadbalancer.org and other open-source tools. Many customers are of different sizes and have different budgets. Loadbalancer.org has everything that is needed.” - Artem M., System Engineer at CROC

    “We use Loadbalancer for balancing loads in our main application. Loadbalancer is easy to use. It performs well, with low latency.” - Walid M., Network and Security Engineer at a logistics company

    Radware Alteon is an application delivery controller (ADC) solution that provides global load balancing for all web, cloud and mobile-based applications. The solution is designed to help your organization simplify operations while ensuring resilience and SLA. It manages application traffic across both data and cloud center locations, optimizing availability and performance. In addition, Radware Alteon integrates multiple application protection services to provide protection against an array of cyberthreats.

    Radware Alteon Features

    Radware Alteon has many valuable key features. Some of the most useful ones include:

    • Robust
    • Load-balancing reverse proxy
    • Stable
    • Flexible
    • Guaranteed application availability
    • Application aware traffic redirection capabilities
    • Faster web application response time
    • Application specific optimized configuration guides
    • Configuration templates
    • Built-in virtualization
    • Built-in application and network security

    Radware Alteon Benefits

    There are many benefits to implementing Radware Alteon. Some of the biggest advantages the solution offers include:

    • Flexible deployment options: Radware Alteon is deployable in a multitude of form factors, including on-premises, virtual, and cloud, and provides a consistent application delivery and security service in any application environment.
    • Automation scripts library: To support faster time to service for complex application delivery and security services, Alteon is supported by an extensive range of automation scripts library. This also enables seamless integration of Radware Alteon services into the DevOps CI/CD processes.
    • Integrated application protection: The solution offers comprehensive application protection via embedded WAF, bot management, threat intelligence, and API protection capabilities. This ensures application availability and helps to minimize false positives, as well as keep applications along with their data secure.
    • Actionable visibility: With Radware Alteon you can stay ahead of issues and threats. The solution provides real-time visibility and actionable insights for proactive management of application availability and security issues before the user experience is impacted.

    Reviews from Real Users

    Below are some reviews and helpful feedback written by PeerSpot users currently using the solution.

    PeerSpot reviewer Jefe de implementaciones de Datos at RETO Industrial S.A. de. C.V., mentions, “The simple and well-documented configuration allows us to be able to implement new balancing services at the request of the user with the same conditions and good service that they expect. We can also make changes to services that are already running, as I mentioned before, the graphical interface is very intuitive and you can almost always make the most common changes quickly. Radware has been characterized by being extremely robust. This gives us the confidence to offer our users a continuous service.”

    A director of consulting says, “The most valuable features are the load-balancing and reverse proxy. Global-load balancing as well is valuable. I also find it to be stable. To date, we have not had any issues with it.”

    An SOC Specialist at a tech services company explains, “The interface is easy, it's friendly, and has good alerting. When you have a problem with a server, it will alert you. It is useful in many areas, especially for web applications and load balancing. It's something that the customer can see on the internet.”

    Sample Customers
    ABB Schweiz, Aer Lingus, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Amnet Technology Solutions, Aramex International, Ascenty, Atos, Autodesk
    Vodafone, NASA, Mercedes, NBC, Siemens, AT&T, Barclays, Zurich, Penn State University, Fiserv, Canon, Toyota, University of Cambridge, US Army, US Navy, Ocean Spray, ASOS, Pfizer, BBC, Bacardi, Monsoon, River Island, U.S Air Force, King's College London, NHS, Ricoh, Philips, Santander, TATA Communications, Ericcson, Ross Video, Evertz, TalkTalk TV, Giacom, Rapid Host.
    Convergys
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Computer Software Company25%
    Financial Services Firm15%
    Manufacturing Company12%
    Healthcare Company8%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company15%
    Financial Services Firm13%
    Government9%
    Healthcare Company5%
    REVIEWERS
    Government21%
    Computer Software Company21%
    Comms Service Provider14%
    Healthcare Company7%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company15%
    Financial Services Firm13%
    Government7%
    Retailer7%
    REVIEWERS
    Computer Software Company26%
    Transportation Company16%
    Comms Service Provider11%
    Manufacturing Company11%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company18%
    Financial Services Firm11%
    Government8%
    Manufacturing Company7%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business36%
    Midsize Enterprise18%
    Large Enterprise46%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business22%
    Midsize Enterprise15%
    Large Enterprise63%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business41%
    Midsize Enterprise9%
    Large Enterprise50%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business25%
    Midsize Enterprise16%
    Large Enterprise59%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business17%
    Midsize Enterprise40%
    Large Enterprise43%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business27%
    Midsize Enterprise14%
    Large Enterprise59%
    Buyer's Guide
    Application Delivery Controllers (ADC)
    March 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about F5, Citrix, HAProxy and others in Application Delivery Controllers (ADC). Updated: March 2024.
    765,234 professionals have used our research since 2012.